Online game experience using multiple devices

ABSTRACT

Technologies and implementations for providing an online game experience using multiple devices are generally disclosed including methods and devices for, in some examples, receiving first data from a first device, the received first data being associated with a first interaction with the online game, receiving a request to utilize a second device and responsive to the received request, transmitting second data to the second device, the second data being associated with a second interaction with the online game, the second interaction related to first interaction but being different from the first interaction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application under 35 U.S.C. §120 of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/635,273, filed on Sep. 14, 2012, nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,713,765, which is a U.S. National Stage filing under 35U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/US2012/034555, filedon Apr. 20, 2012. U.S. application Ser. No. 13/635,273 and InternationalApplication No. PCT/US2012/034555 are hereby incorporated by referencein their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in thissection are not prior art to the claims in this application and are notadmitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

Conventional online computer games often provide interaction with a userthrough a single computing device. This interaction may includedifferent types of information, such as, for example, displayinformation. Due to the complexity of many online games, the displayinformation may include a number of different pieces of information.Accordingly, in order to fully experience the online game, a computingdevice having a display large enough to view the different items ofinformation is required. The alternative to using a sufficiently largedisplay is to run the game at less than an optimal resolution, viewsmaller pieces of information at a time, or the like. Accordingly,although a computing device with a smaller than optimal display (e.g., alaptop, a tablet, a smart-phone, or the like) may be capable of allowinga user to play an online computer game, the display of the computingdevice may not be large enough to fully interact with the game.

SUMMARY

Detailed herein are various illustrative methods for providing an onlinegame experience. Example methods may include receiving first data from afirst device, the received first data being associated with a firstinteraction with the online game, receiving a request to utilize asecond device, and responsive to the received request, transmittingsecond data to the second device, the second data being associated witha second interaction with the online game, the second interactionrelated to the first interaction but being different from the firstinteraction.

The present disclosure also describes various example machine readablenon-transitory medium having stored therein instructions that, whenexecuted, cause a device to provide an online game experience. Examplemachine readable non-transitory medium may have stored thereininstructions that, when executed by one or more processors, operativelyenable an online game provider control module to receive first data froma first device, the received first data being associated with a firstinteraction with the online game, receive a request to utilize a seconddevice, and responsive to the received request, transmit second data tothe second device, the second data being associated with a secondinteraction with the online game, the second interaction related to thefirst interaction but being different from the first interaction.

The present disclosure additionally describes example devices forproviding an online game experience. Example devices may include a firstdevice operable to have a first interaction with an online game and asecond device operable to receive data of the online game to facilitateutilization of the second device with the first device, the data capableof providing a second interaction with the online game, wherein thesecond interaction is related to the first interaction but differentfrom the first interaction.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and not intended to be in anyway limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, andfeatures described above, further aspects, embodiments, and featureswill become apparent by reference to the drawings and the followingdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in theconcluding portion of the specification. The foregoing and otherfeatures of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent fromthe following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict onlyseveral embodiments in accordance with the disclosure, and are,therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope. The disclosurewill be described with additional specificity and detail through use ofthe accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example display associated withan online game experience;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example system for providing anonline game experience;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for providing anonline game experience;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for providing anonline game interaction;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for supplementingan online game experience;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for supplementingan online game experience;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for supplementingan online game experience;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example computer program product; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of an example computing device, allarranged in accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description sets forth various examples along withspecific details to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subjectmatter. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that claimedsubject matter might be practiced without some or more of the specificdetails disclosed herein. Further, in some circumstances, well-knownmethods, procedures, systems, components and/or circuits have not beendescribed in detail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring claimedsubject matter.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings,similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless contextdictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in thedetailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting.Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made,without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matterpresented here. It will be readily understood that the aspects of thepresent disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated inthe Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, and designed in awide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitlycontemplated and made part of this disclosure.

This disclosure is drawn, inter alia, to methods, devices, systems andcomputer readable media related to providing an online game experiencethat uses multiple devices for interaction with the online game.

Conventional online computer games allow a user to interact with theonline game through a single computing device. For example, as part ofthe interaction, the computing device may display information about theonline computer game. More specifically, the online computer game mayinclude display information, and a display component of the computingdevice may use the display information to provide an interaction withthe online game. An online computer game experience typically includesmultiple pieces of display information. Accordingly, the computingdevice may display these different pieces of information simultaneouslyas part of the online game experience.

For example, an online driving game experience may include a main window(e.g., view from the driver's seat perspective, view from the frontbumper, or the like). Additionally, the driving game experience mayinclude a number of other windows (e.g., instrument panel, speedometer,rear view mirror, side view mirror, map, or the like). Accordingly, inorder to experience (e.g., “play”) the online driving game, a user mayuse a computing device to display the windows and provide feedback(e.g., gas pedal pressure, brake pedal pressure, steering wheelmovement, or the like) to the online game. The online game provider maythen use the feedback to update the windows (e.g., view from the driverseat, speedometer, etc.) displayed on the computing device. Asindicated, with conventional online computer games, a single computingdevice (e.g., a laptop computer, a game console or the like) may displayall these windows. More specifically, a user may use a single computingdevice to “play” the online game, which would include viewing the mainview (e.g., view from the driver's perspective) and other windows (e.g.,view of the speedometer, side view mirror, etc.) on the computingdevice.

As indicated above, with various implementations of the disclosedsubject matter, multiple computing devices may be used to experience anonline game. Accordingly, using the online driving game example givenabove, a tablet computer may be used to display the main window (e.g.,view from the driver seat, or the like) while a smart phone may be usedto display another window (e.g., the speedometer, side view mirror, orthe like). Furthermore, feedback (e.g., gas pedal pressure, steeringwheel movement, or the like) may be provided using one or more of thesemultiple devices. This example is given as illustrative only and is notintended to be limiting. This example, along with other examples andimplementations for using multiple computing devices to experience anonline game will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure.

Although care is taken herein to distinguish between an online computergame, the computer resources (e.g., a server, or the like) providing theonline computer game, the computing devices (e.g., laptop computer,tablet computer, or the like) used to experience the online game and theexperience of playing the online computer game, there may be instanceswhere their usage is not consistent. As such, it is to be appreciatedthat those of ordinary skill in the art will be able to correctlydistinguish between the different usages of online game in thisdisclosure from the context of the usage.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example display associated withan online game experience, arranged in accordance with at least someembodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 1 shows adisplay 100 including a main information window 110 and sub-informationwindows 112, 114 and 116. The information windows 110, 112, 114 and 116may be used to display different pieces or items of information (e.g.,views, maps, items, statuses, metrics, qualities, characteristics, orthe like) related to an online game experience. With some online games,the online game may continually update the information displayed in thewindows 110, 112, 114 and/or 116. More particularly, as the online gameexperience progresses or changes, the information displayed in thewindows 110, 112, 114 and/or 116 may be changed.

As can be appreciated, in order to fully experience an online game, acomputing device with a display large enough to show the windows (e.g.,the windows 110, 112, 114 and 116) associated with the online gameinteraction is needed. However, many computing devices (e.g., smartphones, tablet computers, ultra-book laptops, or the like) may not havedisplays large enough to show all the windows associated with an onlinegame experience. Such computing devices (e.g., those with smallerdisplays) are commonly used today. Furthermore, users may often carrymore than one computing device with a smaller display (e.g., asmartphone and a tablet).

As such, various implementations of the disclosed subject matter may beprovided to allow an interaction with an online game using two or morecomputing devices. For example, a user's interaction with an onlinecomputer game may include simultaneously displaying the windows 110,112, 114 and/or 116 using multiple computing devices. It is to beappreciated that online games may provide for a different number orconfiguration of windows than represented in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is shown forillustrative purposes only, and although referenced throughout thisdisclosure, it is not intended to be limiting.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example system for providing anonline game experience, arranged in accordance with at least someembodiments of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 2 shows anonline game environment 200 including an online game host 210 andcomputing devices 220 and 230. The online game host 210 (e.g., acomputer server, a virtual machine, a cloud based resource, a consolegame system, a desktop computer, or the like) may be configured toprovide an online game experience. As will be appreciated, the onlinegame host 210 may be configured to provide a variety of different typesof online game experiences. For example, the online game host 210 mayprovide a massively multi-player online game (MMOG), a single persongame, a co-op game, or other type of online game. Additionally, theonline game host 210 may provide a role-playing game, strategy game,first person game, or other type of game. With various implementations,the online game host 210 may be a computing resource (e.g., as detailedabove) executing online computer game software, which provides for aninteraction with the online computer game using the computing devices220 and 230.

As stated, the computing devices 220 and the computing device 230 mayfacilitate an interaction with the online game host 210. In variousimplementations, the computing device 220 may be a gaming console, adesktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, amobile phone, a personal digital assistant, or the like. In variousimplementations, the computing device 230 may be a gaming console, adesktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, amobile phone, a personal digital assistant, or the like. The computingdevices 220 and 230 may connect to the online game host 210 through aconnection 240 (e.g. a wired internet connection, a wireless internetconnection, a mobile internet connection, a VPN connection, or thelike).

With some implementations, the connection 240 facilitates transmittingdata between the online game host 210 and the computing devices 220 and230. For example, in some implementations, the connection 240 may anInternet connection. Accordingly, the online game host 210 may beconnected to the Internet (e.g., through an ISP, an Internet backbone,or the like) and may be configured to transmit and/or receive (e.g.,using TCP/IP, UDP, RSVP, DCCP, or the like) data to and/or from thecomputing devices 220 and 230. Additionally, the first computing devices220 and 230 may be connected to the Internet (e.g., through a wiredInternet connection, a wireless Internet connection, a mobile Internetconnection, or the like) and may be configured to transmit and/orreceive data to and/or from the online game host 210.

In some implementations, one of the computing devices 220 or 230 mayfunction as a proxy connection to the other computing device 220 or 230.For example, the computing devices 220 and 230 may be connected (e.g.,over Bluetooth, Wifi, USB, or the like). As such, one of the computingdevices 220 or 230 may be a proxy for communication the online game host210 from the other computing device.

As indicated, the computing devices 220 and 230 may be used to interactwith the online game host 210, in order to experience an online game. Insome implementations, the online game host 210 may transmit data (e.g.,input feedback, or the like) related to the online game experience tothe computing devices 220 and/or 230. Alternatively, the computingdevices 220 and/or 230 may transmit data related to the online gameexperience to the online game host 210. For example, the online gamehost 210 may transmit display data to the computing devices 220 and 230.The computing devices 220 and 230 may then use the display data todisplay information about the online game experience for a user. Forexample, the display data sent to the computing device 220 maycorrespond to the main information windows 110 while the display datasent to the computing device 230 may correspond to the sub-informationwindows 112, 114 and 116.

In some implementations, different users (e.g., players of the onlinegame) may use the computing devices 220 and 230. For example, a firstplayer may be using the computing devices 220 and 230 to interact withan online game. Additionally, a second player may be using one of thecomputing devices 220 or 230 to interact with an online game. As such,the shared computing device may be used to display common data for boththe first and the second players' online experience.

FIGS. 3-7 illustrate flow charts of example methods for providing anonline game experience, arranged in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. In some portions of the description,illustrative implementations of the methods are described with referenceto elements of the display 100 and environment 200 depicted in FIGS. 1and 2. However, the described embodiments are not limited to thesedepictions. More specifically, some elements depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2may be omitted from example implementations of the methods detailedherein. Furthermore, other elements not depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 may beused to implement example methods.

Additionally, FIGS. 3-7 employ block diagrams to illustrate the examplemethods detailed therein. These block diagrams may set out variousfunctional blocks or actions that may be described as processing steps,functional operations, events and/or acts, etc., and may be performed byhardware, software, and/or firmware. Numerous alternatives to thefunctional blocks detailed may be practiced in various implementations.For example, intervening actions not shown in the figures and/oradditional actions not shown in the figures may be employed and/or someof the actions shown in the figures may be eliminated. In some examples,the actions shown in one figure may be operated using techniquesdiscussed with respect to another figure. Additionally, in someexamples, the actions shown in these figures may be operated usingparallel processing techniques. The above described, and others notdescribed, rearrangements, substitutions, changes, modifications, etc.,may be made without departing from the scope of claimed subject matter.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method 300 for providing an online gameexperience, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Beginning at block 310, “Receive First Data from aFirst Device, the First Data Being Associated with a First Interactionwith an Online Game”, the online game host 210 may include logic and/orfeatures configured to receive data related to an online game experiencefrom one of the computing devices 220 or 230. In general, at block 310,the online game host 210 may be interacting with one of the computingdevices 220 or 230. More particularly, an online game may be “played”(e.g., experienced) using one of the computing devices 220 or 230 andthe online game host 210.

For example, the computing device 220 may be used to play an online gamein conjunction with the online game host 210. As part of playing theonline game, the online game host 210 may send (e.g., transmit, convey,broadcast, share, or the like) data to the computing device 220.Additionally, the computing device 220 may send data to the online gamehost 210.

As will be appreciated from this disclosure, it may be convenient torefer to the computing device 220 as the “first computing device 220”and the computing device 230 as the “second computing device 230”.Accordingly, at block 310, the online game host 210 may receive datarelated to an interaction with an online game from the first computingdevice 220. It is to be appreciated, that although the computing device220 and the computing device 230 are referred to as the first and secondcomputing devices respectively, the disclosed technology is not limitedin such regard. For example, the first computing device may be thecomputing device 230. Additionally, as an online game is experienced,the first computing device may refer to different computing devices. Forexample, initially, the first computing device may refer to thecomputing device 220. Subsequently, the first computing device may referto the computing device 230. More particularly, if a first, second andthird computing devices were being used to interact with an online game,a user may decide to discontinue use of the first computing device butkeep playing the game with the second and third computing devices.Accordingly, the second or third computing devices may then become the“first” computing device.

As indicated, at block 310, the online game host 210 may receive datafrom the first computing device 220. In various implementations, thedata may be login data associated with a user of the online game. Forexample, a user desiring to experience the online game may log into theonline game host 210 using the first computing device 220. Accordingly,the online game host 210 may receive data associated with the login(e.g., user name, password, desired login detailed, or the like) fromthe first computing device 220.

In some implementations, the data may relate to a selection (e.g.,action, choice, request, invitation, entry, or the like) regarding someaspect of the online game experience. For example, the data may berelated to a character's movement within the online game. Alternativelyor additionally, the data may be related to a message (e.g., chat, text,email, or the like) between users of the online game. Accordingly, asdetailed above, as part of an online game experience (e.g., playing anonline game, or the like) the online game host 210 may receive data fromthe first computing device 220.

Continuing from block 310 to block 320, “Receive a Request to Utilize aSecond Device”, the online game host 210 may include logic and/orfeatures configured to receive a request to utilize the second computingdevice 230. In general, the online game host 210 may receive a requestto include the second computing device 230 in the interaction with theonline game. In some implementations, a user may desire to utilize bothcomputing devices 220 and 230 to experience an online game, as such, arequest to utilize the second computing device 230 may be made by theuser from the first computing device 220.

With some implementations, the request to utilize the second computingdevice 230 may be made from the second computing device. For example,software executing on the second computing device 230 may send a requestto the online game host 210 that the second computing device 230 be usedto interact with the online game. Alternatively, or additionally,loading a specific webpage in a browser of the second computing device230 may cause a request to utilize the second computing device 230 tothe online game host 210.

With some examples, the first computing device 220 and the secondcomputing device 230 may be registered (e.g., during online game clientsoftware installation, online game user account creation, or the like)with the online game host 210. Subsequently, the online game host 210may identify available computing devices (e.g., the second computingdevice 230) and suggest these (or one or more of these) devices be usedto interact with the online game.

In some implementations, the online game host 210 may scan for availablecomputing devices. For example, the online game host 210 may search forcomputing devices proximally located (e.g., via wifi scan, local networkscan, or the like) to the first computing device 220. The online gamehost 210 may then suggest that one or more of these identified devicesbe used to interact with the online game.

In some examples, where the online game host 210 suggests availabledevices with which to interact with the online game, a request to useone of the devices may be automatically generated. For example, if aregistered device is identified as available, the online game host 210may automatically generate a request to use the identified device.

Continuing from block 320 to block 330, “Transmit Second Data to theSecond Device, the Second Data Being Associated with a SecondInteraction with the Online Game”, the online game host 210 may includelogic and/or features configured to send second data to the secondcomputing device 230. In general, the online game host 210 may send(e.g., transmit, convey, broadcast, share, or the like) data related toan interaction with the online game to the second computing device 230.In some implementations, the second data may be display data as detailedabove. For example, the second data may be data facilitating the displayof the windows 112, 114 and/or 116 on the second computing device 230.

In various implementations, more than two computing devices may be usedto interact with the online game through the online game host 210. Forexample, the first and second computing devices 220 and 230 may be usedto interact with an online game as detailed above. Additionally, a thirdcomputing device (not shown in FIG. 2) may be used to interact with theonline game in a similar manner as detailed above in conjunction withthe second computing device 230.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method 400 for interacting with an online game,arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Beginning at block 410, “By a First Device, Interact with anOnline Game”, the first computing device 220 may include logic and/orfeatures configured to interact with the online game host 210. Ingeneral, the first computing device 220 may interact with an online gameprovided by the online game host 210 at block 410. For example, thefirst computing device may receive data (e.g., display data) associatedwith an interaction with the online game from the online game host 210at block 410. In some implementations, a user may be playing an onlinegame provided by the online game host 210 with the first computingdevice 220. As such, as part of playing the online game, the firstcomputing device 220 may interact with the online game host 210 at block410.

Continuing at block 420, “By the First Device, Transmit a Request toUtilize a Second Device for the Online Game”, the first computing device220 may include logic and/or features configured to transmit a requestto utilize the second computing device 230 to the online game host 210.In general, a request to utilize the second computing device 230 as partof the interaction with the online game may be made by the firstcomputing device 220 at block 420. A number of illustrative examples ofreceiving a request to utilize the second computing device 230 tointeract with the online game are detailed above. Particularly withrespect to block 320 of FIG. 3. It will be appreciated that theseexamples may be adapted to block 420. As such, these examples are notrepeated here.

It is to be appreciated, however, as detailed above, that the firstcomputing device 220 may not initiate the request. For example, theonline game host 210 may identify the second computing device 230 asbeing available for interaction with the online game. The online gamehost 210 may transmit an indication of availability and option to usethe second computing device 230 to the first computing device 220. Then,the first computing device 220 may accept the option to use the secondcomputing device 230 at block 420.

Continuing at block 430, “By the Second Device, Receive Data Associatedwith the Online Game to Facilitate Utilization of the Second Device withthe First Device, the Received Data Capable of Providing a SecondInteraction with the Online Game”, the second computing device 230 mayinclude logic and/or features configured to receive data associated withthe online game from the online game host 210. In general, the secondcomputing device 230 may receive data (e.g., display data) related tothe online game experience. A number of illustrative examples of theonline game host 210 sending data to the second computing device 230 arediscussed above. Particularly with respect to block 330 of FIG. 3. Itwill be appreciated that these examples and the discussion of block 330are similar to block 430. As such, these examples are not repeated here.

FIGS. 5-7 illustrate methods for supplementing an online gameexperience, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In various implementations, the methods detailed inFIGS. 5-7 may be provided in conjunction with the above detailed method300, or other methods detailed herein. The following discussion of FIGS.5-7 references the method 300 of FIG. 3 for clarity of presentation onlyand is not intended to be limiting. For example, although the methodsshown in FIGS. 5-7 are discussed with respect to the method 300, theymay be provided in conjunction with the method 400 of FIG. 4 or othermethods detailed herein.

As each of FIGS. 5-7 are discussed with reference to the method 300 ofFIG. 3, the method 300 is briefly reviewed here, prior to the discussionof FIGS. 5-7. As detailed above, the online game host 210 may allow forinteraction with an online game by the first computing device 220 andthe second computing device 230. For example, the method 300 may providefor the online game host 210 to receive data related to an interactionwith an online game from the first computing device 220 at block 310.The online game host 210 may receive a request to utilize the secondcomputing device 220 as part of the online game experience at block 320.Then, responsive to the received request, the online game host 210 maytransmit second data to the second computing device 230 at block 330.

Each of FIGS. 5-7 are herein discussed in turn. The discussion assumesan existing interaction with an online game, and sometimes referencesterms (e.g., “the second data”) from the discussion of FIG. 3. It may beassumed that these terms are understood from the above description andas such, they need not repeated here for purposes of brevity.

Turning to FIG. 5, shown is a method 500 for supplementing an onlinegame experience, arranged in accordance with at least some embodimentsof the present disclosure. Beginning at block 510, “Determine aCharacteristic about the Second Device”, the online game host 210 mayinclude logic and/or features configured to determine a characteristicabout the second computing device 230. In general, the online game host210 may determine a characteristic about the second computing devicethat may be used to customize the second data (e.g., the datatransmitted to the second computing device 230 at block 330). Continuingat block 520, “Customize the Second Data Based on the DeterminedCharacteristic”, the online game host 210 may include logic and/orfeatures configured to customize the second data based on the determinedcharacteristic.

In various implementations, the online game host 210 may determinewhether the second computing device 230 is a registered device at block510. For example, as detailed above, in some implementations, computingdevices (e.g., the computing devices 220 and 230) may be registered withan online game. Accordingly, the online game host 210 may check that thesecond computing device 230 is registered at block 510. Subsequently, ifit is determined that the computing device 230 is not a registereddevice, the second data may be customized to include an indication thatthe second computing device 230 is a non-registered device at block 520.

With some implementations, the determined characteristic is a capabilityof the second computing device 230. For example, if the second computingdevice 230 includes a touch enabled screen, the second data may becustomized to take advantage of the touch enabled screen. For example,if one of the windows 110, 112, 114 and/or 116 includes selection data,then the second data may be customized to include that window such thatthe touch enabled screen may be used to conveniently select the datafrom the window.

In some implementations, the determined characteristic may be anotherfeature (e.g., size of the display, processing speed, audio speaker, orthe like) of the second computing device 230. Subsequently, the onlinegame host 210 can customize the second data to take advantage of thedetermined characteristic. For example, if it is determined that thesecond computing device includes an audio speaker, then the online gamehost 210 may include audio data within the second data.

Turning to FIG. 6, shown is a method 600 for supplementing an onlinegame experience, arranged in accordance with at least some embodimentsof the present disclosure. Beginning at block 610, “Determine a Locationof the First Device and a Location of the Second Device”, the onlinegame host 210 may include logic and/or features for determining alocation of a computing device. In general, the online game host 210 maydetermine the location (e.g., using GPS, using location-aware browsing,or the like) for the first and second computing devices 220 and 230 atblock 610.

Continuing from block 610 to 620, “Determine a Distance Between theLocation of the First and Second Device”, the online game host 210 mayinclude logic and/or features to determine the distance between thelocations of the first computing device 220 and the second computingdevice 230. Continuing from block 620 to 630, “Provide a Proximity Errorif the Determined Distance is Greater than a Predetermined Distance”,the online game host 210 may include logic and/or features to provide aproximity distance error. For example, if the distance between thelocation of the first computing device 220 and the second computingdevice 230 is greater than a threshold distance, the online game host210 may provide a proximity distance error to either or both of thecomputing devices 220 and 230.

Turning to FIG. 7, a method 700 for supplementing an online gameexperience, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Beginning at block 710, “Determine a Location andOrientation of the First and Second devices”, the online game host 210may include logic and/or features to determine the location andorientation of a computing device. In general, the online game host 210may determine the location and orientation (e.g., using a gyroscope,electro-magnetic compass, or the like), of the first and secondcomputing devices 220 and 230. In various implementations, the locationand orientation of one of the computing devices may be determined inrelation to the other computing device.

Continuing from block 710 to block 720, “Include Relation InteractiveData with the Second Data”, the online game host 210 may includerelational interactive data in the second data. In general, the onlinegame host 210 may include data that relates to the determined relativelocation and orientation. For example, if it is determined that thesecond computing device 230 is located adjacent and to the right of theof the first computing device 220, then the second data may includedisplay data corresponding to views adjacent and to the right of what isdisplayed in the first computing device 220.

In general, the methods described with respect to FIGS. 3-7 andelsewhere herein may be implemented as a computer program product,executable on any suitable computing system, or the like. For example, acomputer program product for providing an online game experience may beprovided. Example computer program products are described with respectto FIG. 8 and elsewhere herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example computer program product 800, arranged inaccordance with at least some embodiments of the present disclosure.Computer program product 800 may include machine readable non-transitorymedium having stored therein a plurality of instructions that, whenexecuted, operatively enable an online game provider control module toprovide an online game experience according to the processes and methodsdiscussed herein. Computer program product 800 may include a signalbearing medium 802. Signal bearing medium 802 may include one or moremachine-readable instructions 804, which, when executed by one or moreprocessors, may operatively enable a computing device to provide thefunctionality described herein. In various examples, some or all of themachine-readable instructions may be used by the devices discussedherein.

In some examples, the machine readable instructions 804 may includereceiving first data from a first device, the received first data beingassociated with a first interaction with the online game. In someexamples, the machine readable instructions 804 may include receiving arequest to utilize a second device. In some examples, the machinereadable instructions 804 may include transmitting, in response to areceived request, second data to the second device, the second databeing associated with a second interaction with the online game, thesecond interaction related to the first interaction but being differentfrom the first interaction. In some examples, the machine readableinstructions 804 may include determining if the second device is aregistered device, and include an indication of a non-registered devicewith the second data, if it is determined that the second device is nota registered device. In some examples, the machine readable instructions804 may include determining a capability of the second device, andcustomize the second data based at least in part on the determinedcapability of the second device. In some examples, the machine readableinstructions 804 may include determining a location of the first device,determine a location of the second device, determine a distance betweenthe location of the first device and the location of the second device,and if it is determined that the determined distance between thelocation of the first device and the location of the second device isgreater than a predetermined distance, include an indication of aproximity error with the second data. In some examples, the machinereadable instructions 804 may include determining a location andorientation of the first device, determine a location and orientation ofthe second device, and include relational interactive data with thesecond data, wherein the relational interactive data includes dataconfigured to utilize the location and orientation of the first devicerelative to the location and orientation of the second device.

In some implementations, signal bearing medium 802 may encompass acomputer-readable medium 806, such as, but not limited to, a hard diskdrive (HDD), a Compact Disc (CD), a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), adigital tape, memory, etc. In some implementations, the signal bearingmedium 802 may encompass a recordable medium 808, such as, but notlimited to, memory, read/write (R/W) CDs, R/W DVDs, etc. In someimplementations, the signal bearing medium 802 may encompass acommunications medium 810, such as, but not limited to, a digital and/oran analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide,a wired communication link, a wireless communication link, etc.). Insome examples, the signal bearing medium 802 may encompass a machinereadable non-transitory medium.

In general, the methods described with respect to FIGS. 3-7 andelsewhere herein may be implemented in any suitable server and/orcomputing system. Example systems may be described with respect to FIG.9 and elsewhere herein. In general, the computer system may beconfigured to provide an online game experience.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device 900,arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In various examples, computing device 900 may be configuredto provide an online game experience as an online game host as discussedherein. In various examples, computing device 900 may be configured toprovide an interaction with an online game as a computing device ormultiple computing devices as discussed herein. In one example of abasic configuration 901, computing device 900 may include one or moreprocessors 910 and a system memory 920. A memory bus 930 can be used forcommunicating between the one or more processors 910 and the systemmemory 920.

Depending on the desired configuration, the one or more processors 910may be of any type including but not limited to a microprocessor (μP), amicrocontroller (μC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or anycombination thereof. The one or more processors 910 may include one ormore levels of caching, such as a level one cache 911 and a level twocache 912, a processor core 913, and registers 914. The processor core913 can include an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a floating point unit(FPU), a digital signal processing core (DSP core), or any combinationthereof. A memory controller 915 can also be used with the one or moreprocessors 910, or in some implementations, the memory controller 915can be an internal part of the processor 910.

Depending on the desired configuration, the system memory 920 may be ofany type including but not limited to volatile memory (such as RAM),non-volatile memory (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or any combinationthereof. The system memory 920 may include an operating system 921, oneor more applications 922, and program data 924. The one or moreapplications 922 may include online game experience application 923 thatcan be arranged to perform the functions, actions, and/or operations asdescribed herein including the functional blocks, actions, and/oroperations described herein. The program data 924 may include onlinegame experience data 925 for use with online game experience application923. In some example embodiments, the one or more applications 922 maybe arranged to operate with the program data 924 on the operating system921. This described basic configuration 901 is illustrated in FIG. 9 bythose components within dashed line.

Computing device 900 may have additional features or functionality, andadditional interfaces to facilitate communications between the basicconfiguration 901 and any required devices and interfaces. For example,a bus/interface controller 940 may be used to facilitate communicationsbetween the basic configuration 901 and one or more data storage devices950 via a storage interface bus 941. The one or more data storagedevices 950 may be removable storage devices 951, non-removable storagedevices 952, or a combination thereof. Examples of removable storage andnon-removable storage devices include magnetic disk devices such asflexible disk drives and hard-disk drives (HDD), optical disk drivessuch as compact disk (CD) drives or digital versatile disk (DVD) drives,solid state drives (SSD), and tape drives to name a few. Examplecomputer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removableand non-removable media implemented in any method or technology forstorage of information, such as computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data.

The system memory 920, the removable storage 951 and the non-removablestorage 952 are all examples of computer storage media. The computerstorage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD)or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other mediumwhich may be used to store the desired information and which may beaccessed by the computing device 900. Any such computer storage mediamay be part of the computing device 900.

The computing device 900 may also include an interface bus 942 forfacilitating communication from various interface devices (e.g., outputinterfaces, peripheral interfaces, and communication interfaces) to thebasic configuration 901 via the bus/interface controller 940. Exampleoutput interfaces 960 may include a graphics processing unit 961 and anaudio processing unit 962, which may be configured to communicate tovarious external devices such as a display or speakers via one or moreA/V ports 963. Example peripheral interfaces 970 may include a serialinterface controller 971 or a parallel interface controller 972, whichmay be configured to communicate with external devices such as inputdevices (e.g., keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch inputdevice, etc.) or other peripheral devices (e.g., printer, scanner, etc.)via one or more I/O ports 973. An example communication interface 980includes a network controller 981, which may be arranged to facilitatecommunications with one or more other computing devices 983 over anetwork communication via one or more communication ports 982. Acommunication connection is one example of a communication media. Thecommunication media may typically be embodied by computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in amodulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism, and may include any information delivery media. A “modulateddata signal” may be a signal that has one or more of its characteristicsset or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal.By way of example, and not limitation, communication media may includewired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, andwireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR) andother wireless media. The term computer readable media as used hereinmay include both storage media and communication media.

The computing device 900 may be implemented as a portion of a small-formfactor portable (or mobile) electronic device such as a cell phone, amobile phone, a tablet device, a laptop computer, a personal dataassistant (PDA), a personal media player device, a wireless web-watchdevice, a personal headset device, an application specific device, or ahybrid device that includes any of the above functions. The computingdevice 900 may also be implemented as a personal computer including bothlaptop computer and non-laptop computer configurations. In addition, thecomputing device 900 may be implemented as part of a wireless basestation or other wireless system or device.

Some portions of the foregoing detailed description are presented interms of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on databits or binary digital signals stored within a computing system memory,such as a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions orrepresentations are examples of techniques used by those of ordinaryskill in the data processing arts to convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, isconsidered to be a self-consistent sequence of operations or similarprocessing leading to a desired result. In this context, operations orprocessing involve physical manipulation of physical quantities.Typically, although not necessarily, such quantities may take the formof electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred,combined, compared or otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient attimes, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signalsas bits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers,numerals or the like. It should be understood, however, that all ofthese and similar terms are to be associated with appropriate physicalquantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless specifically statedotherwise, as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciatedthat throughout this specification discussions utilizing terms such as“processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining” or the likerefer to actions or processes of a computing device, that manipulates ortransforms data represented as physical electronic or magneticquantities within memories, registers, or other information storagedevices, transmission devices, or display devices of the computingdevice.

The claimed subject matter is not limited in scope to the particularimplementations described herein. For example, some implementations maybe in hardware, such as employed to operate on a device or combinationof devices, for example, whereas other implementations may be insoftware and/or firmware. Likewise, although claimed subject matter isnot limited in scope in this respect, some implementations may includeone or more articles, such as a signal bearing medium, a storage mediumand/or storage media. This storage media, such as CD-ROMs, computerdisks, flash memory, or the like, for example, may have instructionsstored thereon, that, when executed by a computing device, such as acomputing system, computing platform, or other system, for example, mayresult in execution of a processor in accordance with the claimedsubject matter, such as one of the implementations previously described,for example. As one possibility, a computing device may include one ormore processing units or processors, one or more input/output devices,such as a display, a keyboard and/or a mouse, and one or more memories,such as static random access memory, dynamic random access memory, flashmemory, and/or a hard drive.

There is little distinction left between hardware and softwareimplementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware or softwareis generally (but not always, in that in certain contexts the choicebetween hardware and software can become significant) a design choicerepresenting cost vs. efficiency tradeoffs. There are various vehiclesby which processes and/or systems and/or other technologies describedherein can be affected (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware), andthat the preferred vehicle will vary with the context in which theprocesses and/or systems and/or other technologies are deployed. Forexample, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy areparamount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmwarevehicle; if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for amainly software implementation; or, yet again alternatively, theimplementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/orfirmware.

The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments ofthe devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts,and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/orexamples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will beunderstood by those within the art that each function and/or operationwithin such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented,individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software,firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment,several portions of the subject matter described herein may beimplemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), orother integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art willrecognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, inwhole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integratedcircuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or morecomputers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computersystems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors(e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors),as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designingthe circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and/or firmwarewould be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light ofthis disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capableof being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, andthat an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described hereinapplies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium usedto actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearingmedium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable typemedium such as a flexible disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), a Compact Disc(CD), a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), a digital tape, a computer memory,etc.; and a transmission type medium such as a digital and/or an analogcommunication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wiredcommunication link, a wireless communication link, etc.).

Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the artto describe devices and/or processes in the fashion set forth herein,and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such describeddevices and/or processes into data processing systems. That is, at leasta portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can beintegrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount ofexperimentation. Those having skill in the art will recognize that atypical data processing system generally includes one or more of asystem unit housing, a video display device, a memory such as volatileand non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digitalsignal processors, computational entities such as operating systems,drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs, one ormore interaction devices, such as a touch pad or screen, and/or controlsystems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback forsensing position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/oradjusting components and/or quantities). A typical data processingsystem may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially availablecomponents, such as those typically found in datacomputing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems.

The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates differentcomponents contained within, or connected with, different othercomponents. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures aremerely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can beimplemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense,any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality iseffectively “associated” such that the desired functionality isachieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve aparticular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each othersuch that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective ofarchitectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components soassociated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or“operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality,and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewedas being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desiredfunctionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but arenot limited to physically mateable and/or physically interactingcomponents and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interactingcomponents and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactablecomponents.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singularterms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from theplural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, termsused herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of theappended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation, no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to subject matter containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use ofdefinite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, evenif a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitlyrecited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitationshould typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number(e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without othermodifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or morerecitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a conventionanalogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in generalsuch a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the artwould understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one ofA, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have Aalone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where aconvention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, ingeneral such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill inthe art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at leastone of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that haveA alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be furtherunderstood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive wordand/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in thedescription, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplatethe possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, orboth terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood toinclude the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

Reference in the specification to “an implementation,” “oneimplementation,” “some implementations,” or “other implementations” maymean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin connection with one or more implementations may be included in atleast some implementations, but not necessarily in all implementations.The various appearances of “an implementation,” “one implementation,” or“some implementations” in the preceding description are not necessarilyall referring to the same implementations.

While certain exemplary techniques have been described and shown hereinusing various methods and systems, it should be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various other modifications may be made, andequivalents may be substituted, without departing from claimed subjectmatter. Additionally, many modifications may be made to adapt aparticular situation to the teachings of claimed subject matter withoutdeparting from the central concept described herein. Therefore, it isintended that claimed subject matter not be limited to the particularexamples disclosed, but that such claimed subject matter also mayinclude all implementations falling within the scope of the appendedclaims, and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed:
 1. A processor-implemented method to provide a gaming experience, the method comprising: identifying, by a processor, a first device and a second device for interaction with a game; sending, by the processor to the first device, first data, related to the game, for display via a main information window of the first device; determining, by the processor, a distance between the first device and the second device; and in response to determining that the distance between the first device and the second device is greater than a specific distance: customizing, by the processor, second data, related to the game, to include an indication of a proximity error in the second data; and sending, by the processor to the second device, the customized second data for display via a sub-information window of the second device, wherein the sub-information window of the second device is configured to display data that is distinct from data displayed in the main information window of the first device.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the processor, whether the second device is a registered device; and including, by the processor, an indication of a non-registered device with the second data, in response to determining that the second device is non-registered.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the processor, whether the second device has a touch screen; and in response to determining that the second device has the touch screen, selecting, by the processor, the sub-information window of the second device for presentation of the customized second data on the touch screen.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the second device comprises identifying one or more available secondary devices that are suitable for interaction with the game, and wherein the one or more available secondary devices are located within the specific distance from the first device.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying the second data based on a location and an orientation of the second device relative to the first device.
 6. A processor-implemented method to provide a gaming experience, wherein the processor-implemented method is performed by a game host, the processor-implemented method comprising: identifying a first device and a second device for interaction with a game; transmitting first data, related to the game, to the first device, for display via a main information window of the first device; determining a location and an orientation of the second device relative to the first device; and identifying, based on the location and the orientation of the second device relative to the first device, second data related to the game; and transmitting the second data to the second device for display via a sub-information window of the second device, wherein the sub-information window is configured to display data that is distinct from data displayed in the main information window of the first device.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: determining whether the second device has a touch screen; and in response to determining that the second device has the touch screen, selecting the sub-information window of the second device for presentation of the second data on the touch screen.
 8. The method of claim 6, further comprising: determining a distance between the first device and the second device; and in response to determining that the distance between the first device and the second device is greater than a specific distance, transmitting, in the second data, a proximity error to the second device.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the second data comprises data that is indicative of the second device being a non-registered device.
 10. A game system, comprising: a first device that includes a main information window; and a second device that includes a sub-information window, wherein: the first device is operable to obtain, from a game host, first data, related to a game, for display via the main information window of the first device, and the second device is operable to obtain, from the game host, second data, related to the game, for display via the sub-information window of the second device, the second data includes proximity error data that is indicative of a distance between the first device and the second device being greater than a specific distance, and the sub-information window is configured to display data that is distinct from data displayed on the main information window of the first device.
 11. The game system of claim 10, wherein the first device is further operable to: obtain, from the game host, a list of secondary devices available for interaction with the game; and transmit, to the game host, a request to utilize one or more of the secondary devices, on the list of secondary devices, to display the second data related to the game.
 12. The game system of claim 10, wherein the second device is further operable to: determine whether a specific webpage is loaded in a browser of the second device; and in response to a determination that the specific webpage is loaded in the browser, transmit a request to the game host, wherein the request indicates that the second device is available for utilization, as a component of the game, concurrently with the first device.
 13. The game system of claim 10, wherein the first device comprises a game console.
 14. The game system of claim 10, wherein the second device comprises a mobile device.
 15. The game system of claim 14, wherein the mobile device comprises at least one of: a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, or a tablet personal computer.
 16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that includes computer executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer executable instructions, in response to execution by a processor, cause the processor to perform or control performance of operations that comprise: identify a first device and a second device for interaction with a game; end, to the first device, first data, related to the game, for display via a main information window of the first device; determine a distance between the first device and the second distance; and in response to a determination that the distance between the first device and the second device is greater than a specific distance: customize second data, related to the game, to include of an indication of a proximity error in the second data; and end, to the second device, the customized second data for display via a sub-information window of the second device, wherein the sub-information window of the second device is configured to display data that is distinct from data displayed in the main information window of the first device.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the computer executable instructions, in response to execution by the processor, further cause the processor to perform or control performance of at least one operation that comprises: identify one or more available secondary devices that are suitable for interaction with the game, wherein the one or more available secondary devices are located within the specific distance from the first device.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the sub-information window is selected based on a location and an orientation of the second device relative to the first device.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the computer executable instructions, in response to execution by the processor, further cause the processor to perform or control performance of at least one operation that comprises: determine that a specific webpage is loaded in a browser of the second device; and in response to the determination that the specific page is loaded in the browser, send, to the first device, an indication that the second device is available for utilization, as a component of the game, concurrently with the first device. 